Knee pain has a way of reminding patients that it’s there throughout most of the day. For many individuals with this type of pain, it’s the first thing they notice upon getting out of bed in the morning, and it is often felt throughout many daily activities—like walking up stairs, getting in and out of a car, and bending down to pick up dropped items—until bedtime.
Some patients may respond to knee pain with what they consider to be a logical solution: keep knee movements down to a minimum to avoid any further pain and aggravation. This approach may appear to make sense, but the truth is that it will actually do more harm than good.
Limiting your knee movement will mean less overall mobility, and with that comes reduced flexibility and strength of the leg. This will in turn lead to an increased injury risk and additional problems down the road if the behavior is continued. Instead, the goal should be to focus on keeping the knee mobile and increasing the strength of the muscles that surround the knee, particularly the quadriceps (front of the thigh), hamstrings (back of the thigh), and the gastrocnemius (one of the calf muscles). Strengthening these muscles will lead to better support and stability of the knee joint, which is fundamental for overcoming knee pain. We recommend the following exercises to accomplish this:
The 4 best knee-strengthening exercises for pain
Disclaimer - This article and associated images is for educational purposes only. They are not meant to be a substitute for physical therapy or medical care. Please consult with your physical therapist and/or doctor before you start this or any other exercise program.
A physical therapist can help ensure that you’re performing these exercises correctly and provide you with additional knee-strengthening exercises to address your pain. Contact us to learn more or schedule an appointment.
In our next newsletter, we’ll provide some tips to help simplify your life with knee pain so you can get around more easily.
